by Katherine Hanson
Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) makes the following statement about immigration on his web site:
“There is no doubt that America is facing an illegal immigration crisis. Currently, there are at least 12 million illegal aliens living in America. I am absolutely opposed to amnesty. In addition to rewarding those who broke our laws, amnesties simply do not solve the problem of illegal immigration. The only realistic solution to the problem of illegal immigration is a strategy of attrition, which seeks to reduce the flow of the illegal alien population over time by cutting off the incentives for coming to and staying in America - most importantly by eliminating the jobs magnet. America must also reexamine its legal immigration policies. Since 1990, that number has been roughly one million yearly - and that doesn't count illegal aliens. America should reduce legal immigration to 250,000 people a year, which will allow the newcomers to assimilate.”
Is Tancredo factually correct in the statements he has made about illegal immigration? This fact check takes a closer look.
“Currently, there are at least 12 millions illegal aliens living in America.”
Estimates on the amount of illegal immigrants are hard to calculate because there isn’t a way to track them; they are, after all, undocumented. Several sources provide different numbers, but Tancredo’s 12 million figure is reasonably accurate given the range of current U.S. estimates.
According to the United States International Information Programs in a 2003 article,
“the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service estimates that some 5 million people are living in the United States without permission, and the number is growing by about 275,000 a year.”For more information click here. Other resources give numbers that are closer to Tancredo’s. For example, a popular public policy textbook (Issues for Debate in American Public Policy) states, “more than 10 million immigrants are living illegally in the United States.” Also, an article on the National Public Radio website concludes there is an estimated range of 8 to 20 million illegal immigrants in the U.S., and that the number most commonly cited is between 11 million and 12 million.
“I am absolutely opposed to amnesty.”
Looking at his voting record via the Washington Post congressional database, it seems that he supported House Resolution 4437, a bill to clamp down on illegal immigration and toughen border security. It did not include any new avenue for current illegal immigrants to gain legal status.
Project VoteSmart has a list of other Tancredo votes on stopping immigration; there are no votes for so-called “amnesty” or anything like it. For example, he voted yes to HR 6095, which affirmed the inherent authority of State and local law enforcement to assist in the enforcement of immigration laws, to provide for effective prosecution of alien smugglers, and to reform immigration litigation procedures. To view other bills Tancredo voted for dealing with immigration and other issues, visit Project VoteSmart.
“America must also reexamine its legal immigration policies. Since 1990, that number has been roughly one million yearly – and that doesn’t count illegal aliens.”
Tancredo effectively used the word "roughly" to describe the one million of legal immigrants coming into America. According to the Department of Homeland Security (2006 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics), only two years show legal immigration at over one million, three years show over 900,000 and two years show about 800,000. Tancredo’s statement here is mostly true, depending on how you define “roughly.”
Lesson: Tancredo is right of the specific facts, according to groups and agencies with the recent numbers, and he accurately pitches his opposition to "amnesty" policies.
